Bears Blow Double-Digit Lead In Final 3 Minutes Which Ultimately Is Perfect For The Franchise
Dear Bears fans, this is going to sting at first. But hang in there because it's ultimately good news:
The Bears led the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions by 12 points with only three minutes to play Sunday. And then, as losing teams often do, the Bears folded.
The Lions scored 15 points in 2:30 to take a 29-26 lead. Then the Lions added a safety as the Bears tried to author a comeback to come away with a 31-26 victory over Chicago.
"Obviously very disappointed with the loss," Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. "The main thing is obviously the disappointment was the finish. We didn't finish it as a football team. Didn't finish it as coaches, as players the right way, and there's a lot of plays to be had out there. There were good calls we could have made in those situations to get us that victory."

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 19: Head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears reacts during the second quarter of a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 19, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Bears fans should think about future
So, bitter day for the Bears?
On the contrary, friends.
It was a great day for the long-term health of the franchise. No, really.
And, of course, you're asking how?
Well, if you understand that the last-place Bears are not going to magically save this 2023 season the final two months, an extra win here or there isn't going to address their problems. Might actually hurt.
Said another way: This season is over if you're thinking any sort of spark or postseason anything is about to happen. The remainder of this Bears season is solely about evaluation.
That's it.
Evaluation of quarterback Justin Fields and every other player on the roster.
Evaluation of the coaching staff.
Evaluation of the decisions the personnel department made to cobble this club together and say it had all the tools to be good -- which it isn't.
Anyway, Sunday was an unmitigated success if that evaluation is the thing.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 19: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball during the first quarter of a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 19, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Justin Fields Ran Better Than He Threw
That's because in this game we got a chance to begin that evaluation on everybody.
We saw what Fields can do potentially when his coaches trust him. Fields completed 16 of 23 passes for 169 yards and threw a touchdown. He also led the team in rushing with 104 yards on 18 rushes.
"I thought he played really well," Eberflus said. "He ran the ball nice."
He didn't pass the ball nearly nicely enough, but one must understand Fields is still not 100 percent healthy. He played for the first time in over a month since dislocating the thumb on his throwing hand.
So, yes, he should have been better passing the football. Should have produced more. But if one puts the reasons the Bears lost this game into a bucket, Justin Fields playing poorly isn't in there.
So what's in there? Well, Eberflus kind of mentioned it.
The way the coaching staff approached this game at the end, and a couple of calls that led to, are seriously disappointing.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 19: Aidan Hutchinson #97 of the Detroit Lions reacts after a fourth quarter safety during a game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on November 19, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Lions Know How To Finish And Bears Don't
Eberflus and his staff, in short, showed very little courage at the end of the game. They led 26-21 with 2:59 to play. They got the ball at their own 25-yard line.
Great teams, no, even mediocre teams would typically run their offense. The idea is to close out the game with the Lions never getting the football again. Game over. Everybody happy.
But the Bears didn't do that. They played scared. Afraid.
They ran a play into the middle of the line on first down.
They ran an off-tackle play on second down.
And on third-and-9 they asked Fields to bail them out with a pass. The odds of converting third-and-9 in today's NFL are not high.
And, granted, Fields did not beat the odds and elite quarterback often do. He lofted a long incomplete pass that then led to a Chicago punt. But the greater point is the coaching staff that, if you'll recall, also must be evaluated these final two months, shrunk in the game's biggest moment.
That staff did not trust its players to pass the ball on the two early downs against a defense that was set to stop the run.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 19: Roschon Johnson #23 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball as he gets tackled by Jack Campbell #46 and Cameron Sutton #1 of the Detroit Lions during the fourth quarter at Ford Field on November 19, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Bears Coaches Shrunk From Late-Game Decisions
This is good. The moment showed what that coaching staff is made of, particularly in contrast to the wildman coaching staff the Lions have on the opposing sideline.
Playing not to lose did not reward the Bears. And the resulting disappointment is building in the locker room.
"It's tough man, it's tough, we just have to find a way," tight end Cole Kmet said. "We just have to find a way to win."
Well, the good news is this day did offer wins of sorts beyond the whole evaluation exercise:
Those two first round picks the Bears own are their own and one that comes from the Carolina Panthers in the trade the teams made so Carolina could draft Bryce Young last April.
The Panthers lost on Sunday. That gives them the worst record in the NFL at 1-9. And that means the Bears currently hold the first overall pick of next year's draft.
It doesn't end there. The Bears are 3-8 and currently hold the fourth pick in next April's NFL draft as well.
And, I know what you're going to say: You play to win the game.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 27: (L-R) Bryce Young poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Bears Need Next Year's Draft To Add Talent
Sure.
But the Bears are proving increasingly they're not great at that right now. And the only way they're going to get better is finding a coaching staff that gets the team to finish games. Or finding a coaching staff that trusts the quarterback late in the game.
Or finding a coaching staff that does both those things.
The only way the Bears are going to start avoiding bitter losses like this in the future is also by adding players that can play well enough to hold on. Finish.
And those things come at no time this season. It's all about understanding those things are lacking now and adding them next offseason.
In making the picture clearly about that on Sunday, I'd say the Chicago Bears had a productive day.